There was not much good that Toronto FC could take from their 2-1 loss to the Chicago Fire on Saturday.

Their second league loss in a row, after a run of three successive victories, featured a blown lead, a red card and some disjoined play on the backline and in midfield.

But at least the Reds were able to bring big center forward Eric Hassli into the starting lineup for the game, and watched him play 60 minutes.

“Terrific,” concluded Paul Mariner of Hassli’s game. “His holdup play was terrific. He’s going to be great for us. People can’t handle him – he’s too strong. I took Eric off because we couldn’t get any more out of him. He hadn’t played for a while.”

TORONTO – The Portland Timbers scored first and last at BMO Field, coming away with a 2-2 draw with Toronto FC on Wednesday night in a clash between the bottom teams in each conference.

Darlington Nagbe saved the point for Portland when Toronto's porous defense allowed him to head home a pass from Steven Smith in the 82nd minute.

After Sal Zizzo scored in the first half for the Timbers, Eric Hassli and Luis Silva scored for Toronto in the second half to put the Reds into the lead, but they were unable to hold on for the three points.

Toronto (5-13-5) still have the worst record in the league with 20 points while the Timbers (5-12-6) have just 21.

Toronto FC announced Tuesday that the club has re-signed defender Doneil Henry. As per team and league policies, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“This is another positive step for our football club, signing another promising young defender for the long term,” said Head Coach and Director of Soccer Operations Paul Mariner. “Doneil possess a great amount of skill and the scary part is he is only 19 years old. He has proven to be an important part of our club and will continue to be for years to come.”

there was one thing that Toronto FC needed this year, more than anything else, more than wins, more than a pair of defenders, more than playoffs, more than winning the double and picking up the MLS Cup and the CONCACAF Champions League and the Canadian Champion title for the fourth time, it’s Eric Hassli

ORONTO – Toronto FC's hopes of closing out a miserable season on a positive note took a further blow this week, with an ankle injury likely to keep striker Eric Hassli out of Saturday’s league match against the LA Galaxy at the Home Depot Center.

After successful regular season campaigns, the Kia Toronto FC Academy U17 and U19 teams are gaining valuable playoff experience that they hope to one day bring with them to the first team. There is a lot to like and plenty of talent on our U17 team. Four players – striker Jordan Hamilton, midfielder Derick Sequeira, and defenders Kevon Black and Eli Roubos - attended the recent Canadian U17 National Team camp in Spain. We also boast firepower up front with striker Mark Wadid who finished tied for first in league scoring with 16 goals and Hamilton who finished third with 9.

See You Next Year
Canadian rivals Toronto, Montreal draw 0-0 in 2012 BMO finale

It’s been that kind of year at BMO Field.

Toronto FC closed out their 2012 home campaign on Saturday afternoon with a 0-0 draw against rivals Montreal Impact, who were making their first-ever visit to Toronto in MLS regular season play.

Goalkeeper Freddy Hall helped TFC hold on to their first league shutout since July 14 with a couple of key stops during a hectic series of stoppage time assaults on the Toronto goal. TFC were also helped by a lack of sharpness from Montreal’s attackers, a common theme that afflicted both sides in the scoreless match.

While Toronto’s winless run reaches 13 matches, the expansion Impact moved closer to registering the best record by a Canadian team in MLS this year, which would give them the No. 1 seed in next year’s Canadian Championship. Despite their current five-game winless run, the Impact’s 42 points are on par with Vancouver, who are still battling for a playoff spot in the West.

Option Declined On Six Players
Adrian Cann among those Toronto FC released on Thursday

Toronto FC announced Thursday that the club has declined options on six players: defenders Adrian Cann, Ty Harden, and Dicoy Williams, midfielder Oscar Cordon, and forwards Nicholas Lindsay and Keith Makubuya.

Master Builder
"The pieces are here" in Toronto, says architect of D.C. dynastyNew TFC boss Payne: "The only job I would've left DC for"

TORONTO – Kevin Payne said he likes to build.

In that regard, he has moved to the right place as president and general manager of Toronto FC, who have yet to make the league playoffs in their six years as an MLS franchise and were 5-21-8 in 2012.

“I personally love a challenge,” the former president and CEO of D.C. United said at BMO Field on Wednesday at his introductory media conference. “I often talk with people and say what’s the fun of being manager of Real Madrid and spending crazy money and just buying the best players. I really love to build things. I think that there are pieces in place here.”

Reds Add Braun To Attack
25-year old U.S. striker acquired in exchange for Aaron Maund.

Toronto FC announced Monday that the club has acquired forward Justin Braun from Real Salt Lake in exchange for defender Aaron Maund.

Braun, 25, made two appearances for Real Salt Lake after being acquired from the Montreal Impact on July 11. He made 14 appearances for Real Salt Lake and Montreal combined this past season. He signed a development contract with Chivas USA in March 2008 and spent four seasons with the club. Braun has appeared in 110 regular season matches and has scored 24 goals over five seasons in Major League Soccer. He also appeared in four playoff matches, recording one goal during his time with Chivas USA

Toronto Claims Califf
32-year old former U.S. international centre back selected by the Reds in Re-Entry Process

Toronto FC announced Friday that the club has selected defender Danny Califf in the second stage of the MLS Re-Entry Process and have signed him to a new contact. As per team and league policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Danny Califf is a proven defender in our league, and a player with a lot of character. Our defenders are young and we expect Danny to provide important leadership as we change the culture of our team,” said Toronto FC President and General Manager Kevin Payne. “We’re thrilled to have him on our team. We look forward to welcoming him and his family to Toronto.”

After three years split between five clubs, mostly on loan, scattered between the United States and Europe, the 21-year-old defender has finally found a home in MLS with Toronto FC. The Reds acquired the US youth international via weighted lottery on Thursday, beating out the likes of Dallas, Houston, Seattle, LA and San Jose for his services.

Toronto (57.3 percent) and Dallas (25.9 percent) had the best shot at the promising young center back, who was entered into the lottery process as a draft-eligible player to whom an MLS contract had been offered in the past but opted not to sign ahead of the SuperDraft. Agbossoumonde spent 2012 on loan with the NASL's Carolina RailHawks, appearing 17 times and scoring one goal, and has also spent time with Miami FC, Sporting Braga, Djurgården and Eintracht Frankfurt since turning pro in 2009.

“We’re thrilled to have Gale Agbossoumonde join Toronto FC,” president and general manager Kevin Payne said. “He’s a young and immensely talented center back with solid international experience at the U-17 and U-20 level for the United States, and we hope he will be a member of our team for years to come.”